An Open Letter to ESPN Regarding Michael Vick

I think there are a lot of sportscasters out there who are missing out on an opportunity. Over and over I've heard people say that Michael Vick shouldn't be allowed to have an opportunity to play in the NFL or that he's not remorseful enough for having been involved in dog fighting. Well, here's what I think. I think he made a huge error in judgement to have gotten involved in dog fighting and to have taken things to the extremes that he did. He got caught. He was prosecuted. He served time in jail. He probably suffered more than an average Joe would have had they been punished for the same crime. Vick essentially fell from a very high, very public, very lucrative pinnacle.

So now that he's out of jail and the Eagles have signed him, I really think that this would be an excellent opportunity for America to show how we are able to forgive and allow people to have second chances. Sportscasters are denying us the opportunity to freely forgive by posing these kinds of questions. I could maybe see people get skeptical if an accountant were convicted for embezzling funds from a company and was now seeking a position with the FDIC. I really don't have a problem with Michael Vick having been convicted for dog fighting and now seeking employment with the NFL. To me, they're completely unrelated, so I wish him well. I think baseball players who have been caught doing steroids are more likely to recommit such crimes than Michael Vick.

I also have opinions about PETA. I have very little respect for this organization. There has been a lot of talk and speculation pertaining to potential PETA protests at upcoming Eagles games. I can tell you right now that if there are protests, I will have even LESS respect for PETA. I don't like their outrageous tactics and I think they do more harm than good sometimes.

That being said, I don't agree with the idea of Michael Vick becoming a spokesperson for stopping dog fighting. It just seems...contrived and a little wrong. I'm glad that he wants to stand for reform, but it just makes me uncomfortable to think of him helping animals. It seems like he was told that this is the best way to restore his reputation. To me, it's tantamount to a pedophile getting released from prison and volunteering at a local elementary school. A little too weird.

An Open Letter...

An open letter to the guy I sat next to last week in ceramics class...

Dear Guy,

I find you to be astoundingly unimpressive. The other day, you jabbered on for several hours about how much you love smoking marijuana, drinking, public intoxication and a host of other immoral behaviors. I was not impressed by your story about how you approached a young, blond-haired girl with dreadlocks at a Lowe's hardware store. You described the encounter by mentioning that the girl was obviously "on her guard", and you found yourself suddenly surrounded by her male coworkers who had gallantly come to her defense. I felt great sadness for the girl who had been approached by you simply because she had dreadlocks and you assumed that she was a toker and you wanted to know if she liked "The Grateful Dead". You were awfully proud that you had become "that guy". The guy who is suddenly old, shameless and is known to hit on younger girls. Although you claim to not have been hitting on the girl, your "friendliness" in assuming she would be eager to talk to a strange old man about her assumed drug habits may not have been as well received as you thought.

I also feel it necessary to wonder how old you think you are. Although you appear to be in your late 40s, your demeanor would suggest that you are much closer to 13. I am unimpressed by your tales of bar hoping, throwing up in the drawer of your nightstand and attending wild parties in order to pick up on "chicks". Am I supposed to be happy for a man who is in denial about his age and responsibilities to his wife and children? Am I supposed to respect a father who sets such a poor example for his 10-year-old daughter? I think not!

I am especially disgusted by your candor in sharing about how, when you were in your early twenties, you "hooked up" with a woman at a party who was in her 40s, married and who had a daughter your age. Not exactly something to brag about, sir. You're sick. You are what's wrong with our society.

Although it may be too late, I sincerely hope that you will try a little harder to be a better father for your children. At the very least, please do not share any of your "Pearls of Wisdom" with them.

Best of luck to you,
Jamie

P.S. Please don't ask to borrow any of my tools. You're gross.